Night Falls

Chapter 1

A/N: This chapter has been edited and rewritten a bit

"That's it! I'm running away the second everyone falls asleep tonight!" Eclipse snapped as raindrops splashed down on her. Her dark green eyes glared at the muddy ground, watching a worm wiggle through the dirt.

Nightwatcher didn't blame her for saying that. The rain was awful and had been going on for hours. But she also knew that Eclipse wouldn't do that in a million years. She was far too loyal to even try such a thing. But Nightwatcher still elbowed Eclipse, seeing Nova's worried expression at the thought of one of her older sisters deserting. Nova's visions (nightmares, Nightwatcher was sure none of them were actually visions because Nova never could recognize the dragons by name, so it was likely nightmares made up of dragons they had seen in passing because why would she get visions of dragons she didn't know and couldn't recognize by name?)

Eclipse made an awkward coughing sound, that sounded a bit like a dying cow to Nightwatcher, as she attempted to cover up what she had just said. "I mean— don't worry, I won't actually do that!" She quickly said. "I just don't like the rain."

"It's not that bad." Nova rolled her eyes as she watched Eclipse try, and fail, to shake the water off her wings.

"Oh sure, say that when you're hiding under Duskflight's wings!" Eclipse grumbled, staring pointedly at Duskflight and Nova, who was indeed hiding under the shelter of Duskflight's dark blue and white wing.

Nightwatcher spread one of her wings to cover Eclipse. "Better?" She asked, ducking her head under her wing so she could look directly at Eclipse.

"You didn't have to do that," Eclipse huffed, looking away. But Nightwatcher could sense that she was glad for the shelter from the rain.

Nightwatcher sighed, and responded, "Okay. So I did it for myself, so you don't annoy me to death and so that we don't get caught."

"I doubt anyone could hear anything with all this rain," Starseeker pointed out. Thunder boomed across the sky as if to prove his point. "If there's even anyone here."

Nova jumped, her wings flinging out as the thunder caught her by surprise, her purple eyes darting around as if searching for something. Duskflight bent down to whisper a few words of reassurance in her ear.

"Everything's alright. There's no smoke or fire," he whispered softly.

Eclipse's snout wrinkled is disgust. "Be all lovey dovey somewhere else, you moon-eyed idiots."

"We are not being lovey dovey!" The two of them both argued.

Nightwatcher sighed in annoyance. As much as she loved the fact that the NightWings had adopted the siblings being in the same troop thing, she had to admit, being with her sisters all the time was getting annoying, even with the pair of brothers who were not related to them to break the tension. "Can we do this later?" Like always, none of them listened. Well, except Starseeker. But he was always quiet.

Nightwatcher huffed and pulled her wing back, causing rain to fall onto Eclipse's head again. 

Eclipse yelped in surprise and annoyance. "Hey!" She complained, shaking her head in a failed attempt to get dry.

"No more shelter until you all can learn to—" Nightwatcher didn't get to finish her sentence before A branch cracking sent them all into silence. 

"I didn't see lightning," Duskflight whispered, his eyes widening with fear. 

"Trees. Now," Nightwatcher order, quickly shoving Duskflight into the nearest tree. She glanced at Starseeker and Eclipse, who were helping Nova up into a tree. She climbed up into the tree, her talons scraping against the bark. It was too risky to attempt to fly.